The History of Dayak: Reclaiming a History Too Long Told by Others

The History of Dayak

The History of Dayak stands as a disciplined and necessary intervention in the long-neglected narrative of Borneo’s indigenous people. Rather than presenting a mere sequence of dates or archaeological findings, the book argues with quiet precision that history is ultimately a claim to existence. 

For centuries, maps of Borneo charted forests, rivers, and mountains while omitting the names of those who lived with, named, and guarded them. 

This volume restores that missing voice. Through careful documentation, it affirms what the longhouse once proclaimed and what colonial archives often ignored: the Dayak are the rightful heirs and original custodians of the world’s third-largest island. 

Each chapter resonates with an unspoken declaration that feels both timeless and urgent: “We are here, and we have always been here.”

Forty Millennia of Continuity; Evidence That Reshapes the Story

The book’s authority rests on its ability to braid oral tradition with modern scientific inquiry. Excavations, carbon dating, and DNA testing from the Niah Cave site in Miri offer compelling evidence that Dayak ancestors have occupied Borneo for at least 40,000 years. 

These findings place the Dayak not simply as early settlers but as one of Southeast Asia’s oldest and most stable human populations. 

The author frames this continuity through the twin ideas of stability of place and stability of people, two strands that together affirm the Dayak as a First Nation whose roots predate recorded history. 

Identity That Must Be Learned; Not Merely Inherited

One of the book’s most compelling arguments is that Dayak identity cannot rest solely on lineage. Without historical understanding, identity becomes fragile, susceptible to erasure, and easily co-opted. The author warns that those who forget their history risk losing not only their stories but also their grounding in the land itself. 

Knowing where one comes from becomes an act of dignity, a safeguard against being uprooted in one’s own homeland. In this sense, The History of Dayak operates as more than a cultural chronicle. It is a guidebook for self-recognition, a call to nurture belarasa toward ancestors, toward Borneo, and toward the future that Dayak communities aim to reclaim. 

With measured clarity, the book insists that understanding the past is essential for the Dayak to stand again as masters of their own land, framing the future with the strength of an unbroken heritage.

Softcover: Rp 169.000
Hardcover: Rp 200.000

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